AWS Elemental Link is a physical contribution device: it sends a camera or production feed to AWS Elemental MediaLive, which ingests and transcodes it. It is one part of a live-streaming platform, not the platform itself. You still need to plan how the resulting video will be packaged or hosted, delivered to viewers, and played on a website or device.
To build the system, start with the audience’s playback experience, work backward to the required outputs, then choose an input path and configure MediaLive to match. AWS reference designs include both a MediaPackage-based workflow and an HLS workflow using Amazon S3 and CloudFront; Link is one possible input, not a requirement for every design.
How do I use AWS Elemental Link with MediaLive?
Connect the production source to a deployed and configured Link device, then configure an AWS Elemental MediaLive input and channel for that feed and the downstream outputs you have planned. The Link-to-MediaLive connection provides the contribution path; MediaLive handles ingest and transcoding. A viewer-facing service or delivery path must still be designed separately.
Before configuring the channel, identify the source and the requirements for video, audio, captions, codecs, output formats, and playback. These determine which input and output settings the channel needs. AWS recommends planning the upstream and downstream systems first, then planning the channel from its output backward.
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Plan the viewer-facing platform before creating the channel
Work backward from playback
Decide where viewers will watch and what playback formats and delivery behavior that experience requires. A typical downstream system has an origin or packager, a CDN, and a playback device or website. Choose those pieces before finalizing the MediaLive channel, because its outputs need to fit the delivery path.
Choose a delivery pattern
| Pattern | Media flow | Best fit to assess |
|---|---|---|
| MediaPackage reference pattern | MediaLive produces adaptive-bitrate outputs; MediaPackage packages them as HLS, DASH, and CMAF endpoints. | When the workflow needs these packaged formats and endpoints. Confirm the required services and their availability in the intended Region. |
| S3 and CloudFront reference pattern | MediaLive produces adaptive-bitrate HLS; encoded segments are hosted in Amazon S3 and distributed through CloudFront. | When an S3-hosted HLS delivery path matches the playback experience. The AWS reference design also permits RTP, RTMP, or HLS input paths rather than requiring Link. |
These are AWS reference patterns, not a guarantee that either design fits every production. Select packaging, origin, and delivery components for the actual audience, player, redundancy needs, and operating requirements.
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Choose the source and contribution path
When Link fits
Elemental Link is hardware for carrying an on-premises camera or production source into MediaLive over an AWS-managed secure connection. The device must be deployed and configured for the intended MediaLive workflow. Confirm current device status, workflow conditions, and availability in the target Region before building around specific hardware.
When a different input may fit
Link is optional. AWS’s S3 reference design lists RTP, RTMP, and HLS input paths alongside Link. Choose based on the source you actually have, the venue’s network and production setup, and the needs of the downstream design. Link UHD may also be used with MediaConnect; verify the current AWS service and device requirements for that workflow before committing to it.
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Build the AWS workflow step by step
- Specify the event and playback requirements. Record the source format, required audio and video, captions, codecs, target output formats, player expectations, event duration, and whether redundant sources or feeds are needed.
- Choose the delivery architecture. Select the intended origin or packager and CDN path. Decide whether the design calls for MediaPackage outputs such as HLS, DASH, and CMAF, or an S3-hosted HLS path distributed by CloudFront.
- Prepare the input. Deploy and configure Link for the MediaLive workflow if it is the chosen source path. For a network input or another supported path, verify that it matches the source and the selected reference architecture.
- Create the MediaLive input and channel. Configure the input for the source, then create a channel that ingests and transcodes it to the planned downstream destinations. Set the actual audio, video, caption, codec, and output requirements for the production rather than assuming one profile suits every event.
- Configure delivery and playback. Connect the channel’s outputs to the selected packaging or hosting path, configure distribution through the CDN where applicable, and connect that delivery path to the website or player your audience will use.
- Test the complete path before the event. Validate that the source reaches MediaLive, the configured outputs reach the origin or packager, and a viewer can play the stream through the intended delivery route. Exercise the planned recovery and redundancy arrangements if the design includes them.
- Deploy and operate. If using AWS’s CloudFormation-based Live Streaming solution, review its current template, prerequisites, Region requirements, and deployment conditions before launch. The guide’s approximately 20-minute deployment estimate describes that template, not the time required for every project or a guarantee of readiness.
Plan reliability, Regions, and operating trade-offs
Decide how much redundancy the event needs
AWS’s Live Streaming reference architecture uses two input feeds. That is a reference design choice, not a universal requirement. Decide whether a production needs redundant sources and feeds, and make sure the production venue and the downstream workflow can support the redundancy being planned.
Check Region fit before deployment
Confirm that the required services and solution are available in the Region you plan to use. When the workflow uses MediaConnect flows, AWS’s guide requires the deployment to use their Region. Availability, device status, and service conditions can change, so verify them against current AWS documentation before committing to the design.
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Choose an encoding profile for the project
The AWS CloudFormation solution guide presents progressive 30 fps encoding profile choices of HD-1080p, HD-720p, and SD-540p. Treat these as the choices documented for that solution, not a complete statement of every MediaLive configuration or an assurance that a profile will suit a particular source, audience, or network. Validate the template’s current options and match output settings to the production and playback requirements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does an AWS live-streaming build cost?
Costs depend on the encoding configuration and duration, packaging, and viewer delivery. AWS’s guide gives an illustrative estimate of approximately $69.74 for a one-hour event with about 1,000 viewers using an SD-540p profile in US East (N. Virginia); the guide’s publication year is not stated. In that example, about $2.50 is attributed to encoding and packaging and $67.24 to CloudFront distribution. It is a guide-specific example, not a current quote or a universal price.
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Model the actual workflow using current regional prices, expected hours, output bitrates, and audience traffic. The example shows why viewer delivery can dominate the estimate: its CloudFront distribution portion is much larger than its encoding and packaging portion. Recalculate if the audience, Region, profile, stream duration, or delivery path differs.
Troubleshoot common design and deployment problems
- The source does not reach MediaLive: Confirm that Link is deployed and configured for the intended workflow, the MediaLive input matches the source path, and the chosen device and services are available for the selected Region.
- The channel output does not match the player or delivery design: Recheck the required audio, video, captions, codecs, output formats, and the connection between MediaLive and the selected packager or hosting path. Work backward from the player requirement rather than changing settings without checking the whole chain.
- Viewers cannot play the stream: Trace the path from MediaLive output through the origin or packager and CDN to the player. Verify that the chosen playback format is supported by the intended delivery and viewing experience.
- A planned service or flow is unavailable in the deployment Region: Check current Region availability and, for MediaConnect flows, ensure the deployment uses the flow’s Region as required by the guide. Reassess the design before deployment if a required component is unavailable.
- The estimate is substantially different from the actual bill: Compare the model with actual Region, hours, output profile, bitrate, packaging, and viewer traffic. The published AWS example is scoped to one one-hour SD-540p event and approximately 1,000 viewers, and should not be used as a general budget.
Or let it run in the cloud
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Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
